Volume 44, No. 10 August 2010
Yankee Engineer
BUILDING STRONG
®
Edward MacDowell Lake in
Peterborough, N.H., celebrated 60
years of service and ood protection
to the region, July 31. The event
was attended by hundreds of local
residents and offered tours of the
facility, historic photographs of the
oods of 1936 and 1938, an exhibit
on the life of Edward MacDowell
and an exhibit on the dedication
ceremony that took place on July 28,
1950 with Mrs. Marion MacDow-
ell accompanied by Congressman
Norris Cotton and Senator Charles
Tobey.
Displays included historic photos
of Peterborough, ood photos, pic-
tures of the dam’s dedication on July
28, 1950 and the history of American
Composer Edward MacDowell for
whom the dam was named as well
as the artistic colony he founded in
1895 in Peterborough. While view-
ing the displays, participants were
able to listen to some of the recorded
music created by MacDowell, who
was America’s rst internationally
recognized composer.
The dam at Edward MacDow-
ell Lake is located on Nubanusit
Brook in Peterborough, about 14
miles east of Keene. Edward
MacDowell Dam providesflood
risk management protection pri-
marily to Peterborough, but to a
smaller extent, the communities
of Hancock, Bennington, Antrim,
Deering, Hillsboro and Henniker,
which are all located downstream
on the Contoocook River.
Formerly the West Peterborough
Dam, the project was renamed to
Edward MacDowell Dam under
Public Law 516, 81
st
Congress
(HR 5472), section 206, page 22.
This legislation was sponsored by
Senator Tobey and Congressman
Cotton in 1949.
Construction of the dam began in
March 1948 and was completed in
March 1950 at a cost of $2 million.
The project consists of an earth ll
dam with stone slope protection
1,100 feet long and 67 feet high
with a capacity of more than four
billion gallons of water.
There is a conservation pool at the
project covering an area of 165 acres
and has a maximum depth of about
seven feet. The ood storage area
of the project totals 840 acres and
covers parts of Hancock, Dublin and
Harrisville. The lake and all associ-
ated project lands cover 1,469 acres.
This is equivalent to 5.4 inches of
water covering its drainage area of
44-square miles.
To date, Edward MacDowell Lake
has prevented damages of about
$16.1 million.
In addition to its ood risk man-
agement protection operations mis-
sion, Edward MacDowell Lake also
has a small recreation area. Ameni-
ties include two pavilions, multiple
picnic and grill locations throughout
the park, beach, volleyball net,
horseshoe pits and playground.
Canoes, rowboats and other small
boats are permitted.
Project land also offers trails for
hiking, cross-country skiing, snow-
mobile trails and other activities.
More than 80,000 visitors annually
enjoy the year-round recreational
opportunities the project has to offer.
Celebration attendees make their way to the Edward MacDowell gate house for a tour.
Photo by Brian Murphy
Celebration at project marks 60 years of service
2
YANKEE ENGINEER
August 2010
Yankee
Voices
YANKEE ENGINEER is an authorized unofcial Army newspaper under provisions of AR 360-1 published monthly. Views and opinions
expressed are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army. Contributions from readers are solicited, but publication depends on
judgment of the editor. No payment will be made for contributions. Published by the Public Affairs Ofce, New England District, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, 696 Virginia Road, Concord MA 01742-2751, 978-318-8777. Printed by the offset method on recyclable
paper by the Defense Printing Ofce in Philadelphia, Pa. Circulation 1600. The YANKEE ENGINEER can be found on the World
Wide Web at http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/news/yankee.htm
US Army Corps
of Engineers
New England Divisi
District Commander: Col. Philip T. Feir
Chief, Public Affairs: Larry B. Rosenberg
Editor: Ann Marie R. Harvie
Media Relations Ofcer: Timothy J. Dugan
Public Affairs Specialist: Sally M. Rigione
Web Content Manager: Andrew Stamer
Stay-in-Schooler: Jess Levenson
…to David O’Connor of the North Central Resident Ofce who is the
WE Committee’s Employee of the Month for August 2010. O’Connor is
a Project Engineer for the White River Junction Army Reserve Center,
the Elizabeth Mines Superfund Project, White River Junction Veterans
Administration, and projects at several of the Corps dam sites.
O’Connor’s customers consist of the Army, EPA, VA and Operations
basins. O’Connor is diligent in his work, performs his duties independently
and very quietly. He works long hours, travels far and frequently and
will do anything to complete his projects successfully. He is respected
and well liked by his customers, peers and his supervisors.
All his customers are happy with O’Connor’s work as he completes
his projects with high quality and safety. He’s known for taking on any
assignment and willingly works long hours to complete them. If there
are projects that encounter design issues, O’Connor proactively offers
suggestions to rectify the problems which are usually accepted by his
peers in the Corps and the customers he works with. He’s a total team
player and puts the mission above himself.
Congratulations
Safe removal
of something in
your eye
The blinking and tears that
come from when something
gets caught in your eye helps
safely ush out foreign ob-
jects. If they don’t work,
here are other safe methods
of getting out eye irritants:
- Flush the eye with
lukewarm water in a juice
glass. Rest the rim of the
glass on the base of your
eye socket, hold your head
back, and pour in the water.
- If something is in the
white of your eye, lift it off
with a moistened cotton swab.
- If something is under the
upper lid, pull the lid forward
to let the object slide down.
- Remember – Never rub
your eyes
(First Draft Magazine)
Dan Bradley
Survey Section
… to the family of retiree James Towers who passed away, July 8.
…to Shellagh Gooley Korowski of the Lower Connecticut River
Basin Ofce, on the passing of her stepmother, Helen A. (Bollinger)
Gooley, July 31.
Sympathy
Words Worth Repeating
"My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I nd
something creative to do with my life."
- Miles Davis
YANKEE ENGINEER
August 2010
3
Immediate action by members of the Cape Cod Canal
team helped save a man and his two young children
when their small plane crashed into the Cape Cod
Canal, Aug. 2.
The New England District Patrol Boat, AGAWAM,
with operator Danny Bartolome and crew member
Brendan Dogherty on board, was out controlling vessel
trafc in the canal because the railroad bridge was
down when they saw the plane in the canal under the
Bourne Bridge.
The AGAWAM escorted the plane until it was clear
of the land cut at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
The plane took off and crashed seconds later, shortly
after lift-off. A Good Samaritan small pontoon boat
pulled the three people – a man and his two small
sons – from the water and dropped them off on the
AGAWAM, due to the plane being in shallow water.
No one was injured in the crash. The rescue response
was less than 10 minutes.
The plane was pulled out of the water by the Mas-
sachusetts Maritime Academy via crane the following
day. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigat-
ing the crash.
Lending their valuable support during the rescue
mission were Bob Blackwell and Paul Lyver in the
Marine Trafc Control Center as well as Park Ranger
on Duty Michele Breen.
Although this was one of the most high prole, unusual
rescues that the team has executed this year, it certainly
wasn’t the rst or last. As of mid-August the Cape Cod
Canal Team has performed 326 small boat assistances.
Canal Team assists in plane crash rescue
The plane wreckage after it was pulled from the water near the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. (Photo by Kevin Burke)
Canal patrol boat AGAWAM with the plane in the canal before the
crash. (Photos by Ron Soderberg)
The plane attempting to take off. It crashed seconds later.
4
YANKEE ENGINEER
August 2010
A deployment Welcome Home
ceremony to honor Drew Clemens
and John Garabedian took place in
the Concord Park Cafeteria at noon
on July 1. The ceremony is a new
initiative sponsored by the Human
Resources and Executive Ofces to
recognize District employees who
deploy overseas. Michelle Clemens,
Drew Clemens’ wife, also attended
the ceremony.
Lt. Col. Steven Howell, New Eng-
land District Deputy Commander,
welcomed the two men home. “It
is a big commitment, both by the
individual and their families that
allow them to deploy,” he said. “We
care and are very appreciative of
everything that you’re doing when
you volunteer to go and place your-
self in harm’s way.”
Garabedian, who deployed with
the Massachusetts Air National
Guard, was attached to both the
34
th
and 1
st
Infantry Divisions (U.S.
Army) for three months while he was
stationed at Contingency Operating
Base Basrah, Basrah International
Airport in Southern Iraq. He was
then restationed in February to Al
Asad Airbase in Al Anbar Province,
Western Iraq for three months where
he worked with both the Air Force
and the Navy.
During his tour, Garabedian
served as an engineering assistant
to help prepare for the drawdown of
U.S. Military Forces in Iraq.
Part of his work while deployed
involved surveying and providing
visual representation of the Al Asad
Air Base. The information Garabe-
dian and his unit gathered will have
many uses to include construction
management, base maps, and draft-
ing projects.
Garabedian received the Bunker
Hill Award, signed by New England
District Commander Col. Philip
Feir. He received the award in
appreciation of his deployment in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“Your dedication and your contin-
ued seless service to your country
is an inspiration to us all,” said Gary
Wilson, Human Resources, as he
read the citation. “Your commit-
ment and exceptional service sets
a positive example for all New
England District employees."
Garabedian thanked everyone for
coming to the ceremony and also for
all their support to him while he was
deployed. “You know, it’s really
nice to know that when I was there,
I had a lot of support from people
here and that counts for a lot.”
When talking about his experi-
ences in Iraq, Garabedian said there
were all sorts of tremendous oppor-
tunities to experience. “There’s a lot
of engineering going on over there,”
he said. “You see and learn a lot
of things. It’s an interesting world
out there. Yeah, you can certainly
be put into harm’s way, but if you
want to learn a little bit about Iraqi
culture and things of that nature,
there’s that opportunity to do so.”
Clemens was deployed to Af-
ghanistan for almost two years as a
Civilian geologist for the Corps of
Engineers, working on a water solu-
tion for the people of Afghanistan.
“They used to have a very so-
phisticated aqueduct system that
would move water through the
country, but it was destroyed,” said
Lt. Col. Howell. “They have some
serious, serious water problems in
Afghanistan. Kudos to Drew who
had a huge job over there.”
Clemens was the recipient of
several prestigious awards for his
work. The rst was the NATO
Medal, which he received for service
with the agency in relation to the
ISAF Operation from Oct. 1, 2008
to March 1, 2010.
The second award was a Com-
Two employees honored during Welcome Home ceremony
John Garabedian receives the Bunker Hill plaque from Lt. Col. Steven Howell.
YANKEE ENGINEER
August 2010
5
mander’s Award for Civilian Service
signed by Col. John Kem on May 4,
2009. Clemens received the award
for Meritorious Service while serv-
ing on the FEST 18 in preparation for
surge operations during Operation
Enduring Freedom.
Clemens received another Com-
mander’s Award for Civilian Ser-
vice, which was signed by Col.
Feir, June 23, for outstanding
achievement during the period Oc-
tober 2008 to May 2010. Clemens
“performed his duties as a geologist
in an outstanding manner in support
of Operation Enduring Freedom,”
said Wilson.
The awards portion of the event
ended with Clemens receiving the
Superior Civilian Service Award.
According to the citation, Clemens
increased future capability in Af-
ghanistan by procuring cutting-edge
well logging equipment.
“Deployed to extremely arduous
forward bases and often exposed
to indirect enemy re, his seless
efforts directly enabled force uplift
and sustainability for 30,000 addi-
tional U.S. personnel while preserv-
ing the integrity of local population
water,” read Wilson. The citation
was signed by Maj. Gen. Timothy
McHale on Feb. 27.
In appreciation for her support
to her husband, Michelle Clemens
received a oral arrangement from
the New England District.
Clemens said he could not have
done his job without the support of
his wife, Michelle, and his family.
He also thanked his teammates in
the Geology/Chemical Section of
Engineering/Planning and his su-
pervisor, Rose Schmidt, for their
support during his deployment.
“Without the expertise of the folks
back home, we couldn’t have gotten
where we needed to be,” he said.
The emotional support given by
his friends and co-workers at the
District was also very much ap-
preciated by Clemens. “The care
packages were wonderful and it was
good to know that folks were calling
to make sure Michelle was okay,”
he said. “You’ve all been super.”
Although the work was danger-
ous – at the ceremony Clemens said
the Taliban kept shooting up trucks
– it was an exciting and rewarding
experience. “It was the best job I’ve
had in the Corps of Engineers and
I’ll be glad to go back if my wife
gives permission,” he said.
Lt. Col. Howell announced that
more New England District em-
ployees were either deploying or
in the process of being deployed.
Names mentioned included Far-
rell McMillan (Iraq), Bud Taylor
(Afghanistan), Mike Hicks (Iraq)
and Adam Burnett (Afghanistan).
“We’ve got plenty of volunteers,
but we’re always looking for more,”
said Lt. Col. Howell.
New England District employees
who are interested in volunteering
are urged to speak with their su-
pervisor and then contact Human
Resources.
Drew Clemens received numerous honors during the Welcome Home ceremony.
Photos by Brian Murphy
Michelle Clemens receives a ower arrangement from Gary Wilson on behalf of the District.
6
YANKEE ENGINEER
August 2010
Friends, coworkers and family
members of Construction Represen-
tative Craig Hysler traveled to the
Devens Grille, June 25, for a lun-
cheon to celebrate his distinguished
30-year career and to wish him well
upon his retirement.
Twenty-five people attended
the event. Sean Dolan, Chief of
Construction, served as Master of
Ceremonies. Dolan and several of
Hysler’s coworkers talked about
his career, told personal stories and
presented him with gifts.
Lt. Col. Steven Howell, Deputy
Commander of the New England
District, presented Hysler with the
Commander’s Award for Civilian
Service before ofcially retiring
him by awarding the retirement
certicate and pin.
Hysler began his career with the
Corps in New England as a dredge
inspector. Over the years, Hysler
received promotions and took on
increasing responsibilities until he
became a construction representa-
tive, the position from which he
retired.
Hysler has accomplished quite a
lot during his years with the District.
At one time or another, he worked
on 44 of the 178 federal navigation
projects in New England. He also
completed three border patrol sta-
tions in Calais, Jackman and Van
Buren, Maine, to name only a few.
“Craig worked on painting the
Bourne Bridge during the summer
of 1993 after a worker fell from
the bridge and died,” said Dolan.
“He provided added construction
oversight to the eld team to help
complete the project under difcult
circumstances and added interest
from OSHA.”
Hysler worked on other high-
prole projects for the District, such
as the environmental clean up of
the Naval Fuel Annex in East Bos-
ton. Work on that project included
closing pipelines that crossed an
active runway at Logan Airport.
“That project required extensive
coordination with Massport due to
the sensitive nature of working on
an active airport and within the city
community,” said Dolan.
Hysler received a letter of appre-
ciation from the director of Mass-
port in recognition of his efforts
on the project. The letter was only
one of many awards and citations
Hysler received in his career, which
includes the 2007 Hard Hat of the
Year Award.
Hysler’s wife, Diane, and son,
Harlan, accompanied him to the re-
tirement lunch. Retiree Bill Haynes
attended the luncheon to welcome
Hysler into the New England Dis-
trict retirement community.
Hysler retires with 30 years of service
Lt. Col. Steven Howell presents Craig Hysler with a Commander's Award for Civilian Service.
Craig Hysler greets guests during his retirement luncheon.
Photos by Brian Murphy
YANKEE ENGINEER
August 2010
7
By Natalie McCormack
Park Ranger
Forty-eight rangers attended the annual Seasonal
Ranger Training, which took place June 3-4 at Head-
quarters in Concord Park.
This training, which was created to prepare sea-
sonal hires for the responsibilities of their jobs, was
developed by the
New England Dis-
trict Interpretive Ser-
vices and Outreach
Program Commit-
tee, in collaboration
with Basin Manag-
ers, Park Managers,
Senior Park Rangers,
and members from
several departments
within the District.
Each year, the
training is used to
familiarize new and
returning seasonal
employees with the
Corps mission and
goals.
In this year’s train-
ing, some of the top-
ics that were covered included the history of visitor
assistance, maintaining a professional appearance, the
history of the Corps of Engineers, Flood Control, and
Navigation. But, the real emphasis was put on personal
safety, and handling interactions with the public, whether
it is assisting visitors with questions or presenting in-
terpretive programs.
Now, it is no surprise that safety, which is paramount
with the Corps of Engineers, was heavily discussed
during both days of the training. Lessons on personal
safety started on the rst day with how to use Verbal
Judo to reduce aggression and tension during unpleas-
ant public interactions. This then led into how to use
defensive techniques in the event that the Verbal Judo
is not effective.
Heading up these activities was Chief Park Ranger
Chris Arthur, the special guest speaker from the Corps
Project at Lake Sidney Lanier in the Mobile District.
The second day focused on wearing protective gear,
such as hard hats, ear and eye protection, and bug repel-
lent while out on the project. Wayne Johnson and Sheila
Harvey from the District’s Safety Ofce also briey
went over safe driving policies, and the Tick Aware-
ness Program, as well as emphasized the importance
of always practicing personal safety.
Along with the
various safety
demonstrations,
the second day
was also centered
on Interpretation.
Another vital
part of a summer
ranger’s job. Led
by Rangers Kar-
en Hoey, Zach
Koziol, and Ma-
rissa Wright, sea-
sonal employees
were introduced
to the idea of in-
terpretation and
how it plays a part
in almost every
interaction that
they will have
with the public. These exchanges can range from handing
out brochures, hanging posters, to giving programs on
water safety and local ora and fauna. The instructors
also touched on methods of giving a good presenta-
tion, including using the process of provoke, relate,
and reveal, and knowing how to develop a topic that
ts your audience.
Finally, after absorbing all this information the
seasonal rangers were given a chance to demonstrate
the interpretive skills that they had just learned. The
rangers broke out into groups and developed their own
programs to present. From the brief description of topic
ideas each group was able to develop interesting and
unique presentations, which included resource conser-
vation, water safety, hiking safety, wildlife safety, and
much more.
Safety demonstrations and interpretive breakout
sessions highlight Seasonal Ranger Training
This is a picture of two seasonal rangers practicing their self defense taught by Chris
Arthur.
8
YANKEE ENGINEER
August 2010
Dredging up the past . . .
Public Affairs Ofce
New England District
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
696 Virginia Road
Concord, MA 01742-2751
Meter Code 40
First Class
U.S. Postage
Paid
Concord, MA
Permit No. 494
Attendees at the Edward MacDowell ribbon cutting ceremony outside of the
new gate house in this July 28, 1950 photo. Pictured left to right are Mr.
Verney, New England Division Commander Col. Henry J. Woodbury, Gov-
ernor Sherman Adams, Mrs. Marion MacDowell, U.S. Senator Charles To-
bey, and U.S. Congressman Norris Cotton. The project celebrates 60 years
of service to the nation this year.
